Last week, two UChicago professors were elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition for their scientific achievements in research.

Professor Vladimir Drinfeld is the one of the two UChicago researchers to receive this honor this year. He has made significant discoveries in the field of mathematics, beginning with proving the Langlands conjectures when he was only 20 years old. Since then, he has continued to expand his understanding of the Langlands conjectures while also working on mathematical physics. He received the Fields Medal in 1990 for his research.

The other new member of NAS is Wayne Hu, the Horace B. Horton Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics in the College. His research has focused on the theory of how the Universe’s structure might have formed initially. His work has also provided essential insights in understanding how temperature differentials were involved in the Big Bang’s afterglow.

The mission of NAS is to provide objective and unbiased advice to the government on matters of scientific importance. To become a member, a researcher must be nominated by a current NAS fellow and then voted for at an annual meeting.